The Other Side
by Aldraia Dragonsong
Summary: Best friends Josh and Anna just wanted to explore Sinnoh. But they were soon caught up in the aftermath of the Red Chain disaster...
1. Prologue

(Greetings. This is your author, Rya, speaking.

Please pardon the lameness of my first submission. After all, it is my first.

Please, please, leave reviews! Tell me how I can improve the story!

New chapters will be added as fast as I can write them (which may be a while, since school starts soon).

Those bunches of dashes (---) indicate time/space/character changes.

Enough talk; here it is. Enjoy!)

Prologue: The Best of Friends

It all started one day in a sleepy little town with two best friends.

That day was the birthday of both of their children.

These children, born on the same day but not twins or even related, were named Josh and Anna.

And like their mothers, these two became the best of friends.

From before their first memories, the two children had played together while their mothers talked. They were very close, perhaps even closer than their mothers. They told each other everything. They got in trouble together (rarely, because neither enjoyed mischief; but when they did get in trouble, they tried to help each other, usually making it worse). They did everything together.

For their seventh birthday, they got each other identical blue scarves, which they wore after that as a sign of friendship.

And for their tenth birthday, something special happened…

-----------------

Josh woke up quite early, yawning.

"Uuuuhhh," he mumbled, getting up.

Once he had managed to get ready for the day, he was sufficiently awake to remember that it was his birthday.

"Happy birthday, Josh!" his mother said as he entered the kitchen. "What do you want to do today?"

"Well," Josh said, "first I'll give Anna her present."

"Not until you've eaten breakfast!"

"I meant _after_ breakfast," Josh said patiently.

However, the delivery of the present would have to wait a little while, because Josh found a package on his doorstep.

"Huh? I wonder what this is…"

Unable to resist, Josh picked up the box and took it inside.

When he opened it, he was surprised to find that it was mostly empty.

There were only two things in it: a card… and a pokéball.

The card read:

"I hope you like the present!

-Anna"

Now Josh was curious. What, exactly, had Anna given him?

There was only one way to find out…

Josh picked up the pokéball and pushed the button.

In a flash of red light, a small Pokémon appeared before him.

"Vee?" the Pokémon asked.

"A-an Eevee?"

Josh knelt down in front of the Eevee. The Pokémon looked at him. He looked at the Eevee.

"Eevee!" the Pokémon said.

That, and the looks in their eyes, was all anyone needed to know.

The boy and the Pokémon would be friends for life.

-----------------

"Anna!"

Anna turned her head.

"Josh!"

"Thanks for the present," Josh said, running up to her. The Eevee was running along behind him. Seeing that, Anna smiled.

"You're welcome."

"Well, now what I got you seems kind of silly…"

"What is it? What is it?" Anna asked, excited.

Josh held out a pokéball.

Anna picked it up and pressed the button.

And out came… an Eevee.

This one was female (Josh's was male).

"Eev?" she asked, looking at Anna.

Anna knelt down, seeming to have eyes only for the Eevee.

"Eevee!" the Pokémon said, staring up at Anna with equal adoration.

Anna picked up the Pokémon, stood up, and looked at Josh.

"It's not a silly present," she whispered. "She's perfect."

Josh grinned.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

-----------------

A little later, they were sitting by the pond, looking out at the water with their Pokémon sitting next to them.

"So, what did you name him?" Anna asked.

"I hadn't decided," Josh answered. "What'll you name her?"

"I think… Erisna," she said.

"That's a nice name. What do you think I should name him?"

"What about… Mimoru?" she suggested.

He smiled.

"That's a good name."

The two of them sat there, not speaking, just enjoying each other's company.

They did not need to speak.

After all, they were the best of friends.


	2. Chapter One

(Greetings. This is your author, Rya, speaking once again. Sorry to be so long between updates -I fully expect the trend to continue. In case you were wondering, the reason why you get to see what the Pokémon are saying is because Anna understands what they say. Sort of like Ash with Pikachu. Except totally different.)

Chapter One: The Start of the Journey

The girl had black hair and purple eyes. She was wearing a purple shirt, a black skirt, and a blue scarf.

"Well, I'm off," she said, shouldering her backpack.

"Are you sure you'll be all right, Anna?" asked her mother. "I'm worried about you, all alone out there…"

Anna gave her mother a quick hug.

"I'm sixteen now, Mama. I know you think it's your job to worry about me, but you don't have to worry so much."

"Besides," she added, pausing in the doorway, "I won't be alone. I'll have Erisna and Josh and Mimoru."

She was smiling as she went out the door, an Espeon following at her heels.

"With the four of us together, we can do anything!"

-----------------

"Bye, Mom!" the boy called as he went out the door. He had brown hair and dark eyes, and was wearing a white shirt and brown pants.

"Good luck, Josh!" his mother called. "Have fun!"

Josh smiled as he walked, an Umbreon trotting alongside him.

"How could I do anything else?" he asked.

-----------------

Josh arrived first.

"Am I late?" Anna asked.

"No," Josh said, "I'm early."

_"Are you ready?"_ Erisna asked Mimoru.

_"Of course I am!"_ he replied.

"Are you sure we're ready?" Josh asked.

Anna glanced at him, surprised. The question was similar to what Erisna had asked Mimoru, and yet at the same time, it was very different.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Josh stared out over the little town. From where they were, it was possible to see the entire town. Still staring at nothing in particular, he said, "This isn't a picnic. We'll be gone for days –probably weeks, maybe months. Can we really handle being away from home that long? And how'll we make it, alone?"

Anna looked at Josh thoughtfully.

"It's usually Erisna who asks that sort of stuff," she said.

Josh shrugged.

"I guess I'm just worried."

Anna smiled a little.

"Don't worry, Josh," she said, taking his hand in one of her own. "We won't be alone. We'll have each other, and Erisna and Mimoru too. We can do anything, the four of us together."

Josh turned to stare at Anna, but she had dropped his hand, and now it was her turn to look out over the town while she went on.

"Home is not simply a place. Home is your family, your friends –human or Pokémon. Home is a feeling -the feeling of being safe and loved. Home is what you love. Home _is_ love. Whenever you are happy… then you are home."

Josh stared at her, speechless.

"At least," Anna said, "that's what I think."

She turned to look at the other three.

"Josh," she said, "Erisna, Mimoru… The three of you together… are all the home I need."

She looked sideways at Josh, suddenly wondering if she had been too weird for him. That happened sometimes.

Josh was standing very still, not looking at anything in particular.

"Josh?" Anna asked.

Josh pulled himself out of his thoughts.

He glanced at Anna, and smiled.

"I was just thinking about what you said," he explained. "And you know what? I think you're right. We are definitely ready."

Erisna and Mimoru glanced at each other, and took up positions with their human friends between them. They had an idea what would happen next, and they wanted to be ready.

Anna and Josh joined hands again, just as they had when they were younger.

"With matching scarves, and hand in hand, together we go to see the land!" they chanted, just as they had practiced when they were younger.

And then, laughing, they headed off, still holding hands, their Pokémon alongside them.

It was the start of the journey, and they knew not where it would take them.


	3. Chapter Two

(And now, at last, the actual journey stuff starts!

Please, people, review! I need to know how I can improve!

…Is anyone actually reading this?

Please, SOMEONE, leave a review! Just so I know people are actually reading this!

EDIT: If, by some miracle, some of my old readership remains, you may wonder "Why has the submission time for the chapter changed?" I edited the chapter, is why. I finally came back to this, and hopefully will start writing more of it again.)

Chapter Two: The Pokémon of Lake Verity

_Our heroes, Josh and Anna, have begun a journey. Their goal? To see the wonders of Sinnoh._

_Will they manage it?_

_That is a little harder to say…_

"Okay…" Josh said. "Now that we've started, what do we do first?"

"We go see the lake, of course," Anna replied.

"Now that's a good idea. We've never actually been there, have we?"

"No, we haven't."

"There are some pretty cool legends about that lake."

Anna smiled.

"Well, let's find out how much is true," she suggested.

"Whoa," Josh said, staring.

Anna said nothing. This was too much for words.

The lake was beautiful. The water was clear and pure, and the trees were green and healthy. The two of them were seated on some of the softest grass it had ever been their good fortune to sit on.

Erisna and Mimoru were equally impressed.

"So far, so good on the legends," Josh said.

_"This water is great!"_ Mimoru exclaimed.

_"Delicious,"_ Erisna agreed. _"Perhaps the best water I have ever drunk."_

"Now I want some," Anna said, getting up and heading for the water's edge.

"What's up?" asked Josh, joining her.

"Oh, they're going on about how great the water is-"

A flash caught her eye. She froze.

Josh looked puzzled.

"What is it?"

"Look," she breathed. "Do not yell. Do not move. Just look at the island in the center of the lake."

Josh looked.

He blinked.

"The legends are confirmed," he murmured.

The pink Pokémon turned. It looked at them.

Josh and Anna (and Erisna and Mimoru too) felt as though all the emotions they had ever felt, and some that they never had, suddenly rose up inside them. It seemed to them that it was the Pokémon's gaze that caused this upwelling of emotion. The pink Pokémon watched them a moment longer, then it nodded slightly, as if it had reached a conclusion.

It vanished.

"We have seen it," Josh said. "The Pokémon of Lake Verity."

Anna nodded, unable to speak.

Josh knelt down and had a drink of water.

"They were right," he said. "This is good."

Anna giggled, then sat down with him to drink some water herself.

"So what is it?" Josh asked.

They had reached Sandgem Town fairly quickly and were asking Professor Rowan about the Pokémon they had seen.

_"I know the name,"_ Erisna muttered. _"Mana- no. Mimor- no, that is your name. Mi… Ma… What is it…?"_

"Hmm…" the professor mused. "You've seen a rather rare Pokémon."

_"Mo… Me… Mespirit! That is it! Its name is Mespirit!"_

"Mespirit?" Anna asked her.

"That's right," said Rowan, surprised. "How did you know?"

_"It spoke to me,"_ Erisna said, sounding almost as surprised as Rowan. _"It greeted me through our minds…"_

"Then why didn't I hear it?" asked Anna.

_"Because it was speaking to me,"_ Erisna answered logically.

"Mespirit told Erisna its name," Anna explained to the other two humans. "It must be a Psychic type."

"Very interesting," Rowan mused. "Well, I'm afraid I can't tell you much else. Not much is known of Mespirit."

"Thank you for telling us what you could," Josh said politely.

As the two of them left, Josh said, "A legendary Pokémon… and we saw it! What do you think it means, Anna?"

Anna was looking thoughtful.

"I don't know," she said slowly. "But I think we'll find out soon enough."


	4. Chapter Three

(Welcome back to _The Other Side_. Your author, Rya, has finally recovered from her bout of laziness, illness, and college preparation and has returned to work on this. Thank you for your patience. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Due to next week being my college move-in and the week after that the start of classes, updates will be sporadic if at all for a while. Sorry about that.

In the context of this story, "pacifist" means a person opposed to Pokémon battles.)

Chapter Three: A Visit to Jubilife City

_Last time, Josh and Anna discovered a mysterious Pokémon: Mespirit, the legendary Pokémon of Lake Verity. Erisna claims that Mespirit spoke to her, mind-to-mind, as Psychic Pokémon can._

_Puzzled, our heroes continue their journey. Their next destination: Jubilife City, home of a number of interesting things…_

"What do you suppose Jubilife City will be like?" Anna asked.

"Well," Josh said, "it's supposed to be big. At least twice the size of Twinleaf."

"_Wow,"_ said Mimoru. _"That is big."_

"There are all sorts of things there," Josh continued. "The headquarters of Jubilife TV, the headquarters of Pokétch Co., the Trainer's School…"

"Look," Anna said, pointing.

Josh looked.

"Well," he said, "there it is. Jubilife City. Now we can find out for ourselves what it's like."

Josh and Anna entered Jubilife City for the first time in their lives.

Josh did not notice that Anna had slipped back a little, so that she was now walking behind him instead of beside him.

Like all sensible travelers, the first place they went was the Pokémon Center. Not because they needed to, but because it was always useful to know where the Pokémon Center was.

Fortunately, there was a sign just inside the town which provided a map, so it did not take them long to find it.

"All right," Josh said as they left, "where to first?"

Anna glanced at him sideways, then shrugged.

"Let's go to the Trainer's School," Josh said, interpreting her gesture as indifference. "I've always wondered about that."

Anna nodded and followed Josh as he led the way.

When they arrived at the Trainer's School, Josh knocked at the door.

A blonde woman opened it.

"Oh! Hello," she said. "Have you come to apply for classes?"

"Actually, we were curious about what sort of classes you teach here," Josh explained.

"Well, we're having a practical exam right now. Would you like to observe?"

"Is that allowed?" Josh asked, surprised.

"Certainly, as long as you aren't disruptive."

"Thanks," Josh said. "We would love to."

"Come on, you can do it!" the little girl at one end of the room yelled. "Tackle!"

"Yeah right!" the boy on the other end called back. "Growl!"

"Tch. Think a little noise'll stop us?"

The blonde teacher watched the two students and the Bidoof who were fighting, her eyes noting every movement all the four of them made.

Excitement was in Josh's eyes. He watched the battle eagerly, almost as attentive as the teacher. His eyes darted back and forth over the battle, as if he was afraid to miss anything. He watched with the eyes of one who wants to understand so he can imitate.

Anna's eyes were filled with pain. She watched the battle reluctantly, her face pale. She watched with the eyes of one who wants to understand, yet fears that understanding.

Erisna whimpered and flinched slightly.

"_What is wrong?"_ asked Mimoru, noticing.

"_Anna,"_ Erisna said, breathing hard. _"Anna's emotions...strong. Chaotic. The waves... hurt."_

"_I do not feel anything..."_

"_You are a Dark type. If I hit you in the face with a psychic blast, you would not feel anything."_

"_Oh. Right..."_

Anna could not take it anymore. She looked away.

Josh turned to Anna, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Anna-" he began, then noticed the look on her face.

"Anna," Josh said, "what's wrong?"

"This battle..." Anna whispered. "I cannot take it anymore, Josh..."

That sounded bad. Josh took Anna's arm and slipped out with her.

Once they were outside, Anna leaned against the wall as if it was the only thing holding her up.

Perhaps it was. Josh took her arm again.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I will be... fine," Anna said quietly.

Josh sat with Anna at the edge of the fountain, cursing himself for forgetting that Anna was a pacifist. That scene in the schoolroom had probably been torturous for her.

"So," he said, "what next? We have Pokétch Co., Jubilife TV..."

"Pokétch Co.," said Anna.

When they walked into the building, a man in a suit ran up to them.

"Hello, hello!" he said. "Perfect timing! We're having a contest, whoever can find the three Pokétch Co. representatives and answer their questions wins a free Pokétch!"

"If two people enter, do we both get one?" asked Josh.

"Of course, of course!" the man said.

Josh looked at Anna. Anna looked at Josh.

"Let's do it!" said Josh.

"That's the spirit!" said the man in the suit. "The representatives are scattered about Jubilife. They shouldn't be too hard to find, the real challenge is the questions!"

Fifteen minutes later...

Josh and Anna strapped their new Pokétches onto their wrists.

"That was easy," said Josh. "Good thing you knew all the answers."

Anna smiled.

They went to Jubilife TV next, but nothing of great interest to our story happened there. Moving on...

"Well," Josh said, "that was fun."

Anna nodded. Taking a piece of paper out of her backpack, she unfolded it to reveal a map.

Josh looked over her shoulder.

"All right," he said. "Well, we're done with Jubilife City now, so it looks like we're going there next?"

Anna nodded again and put away the map.

"All right!" Josh yelled. "Next stop, Oreburgh City!"


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four: The Gate and the Mine

"Hm. So we have to go through this tunnel, eh?" said Josh.

They were standing in front of the Oreburgh Gate.

"It appears so," Anna agreed. "Do you think it is safe?"

"Eh. The tunnel's supposed to be short. We should be fine."

The four travelers entered the Oreburgh Gate.

At first, everything was fine.

Then the tunnel started shaking.

"We better get out of here, fast!" Josh called.

Anna did not waste breath replying. All four of them started to run.

The shaking soon stopped -it had been only a minor earthquake.

They were almost out when a Zubat attacked Erisna.

"Espeee!" Erisna cried as she was knocked backwards.

Anna picked her up and kept running.

Mimoru turned to face the Zubat, growling.

"Moru, don't!" Josh cried, realizing what he was about to do. "We have to get out of here!"

"Bri!" the Umbreon replied, turning and running after them. _"Right!"_

Then they were out, panting for breath.

"Erisna, are you all right?" Josh asked.

"_I will be fine,"_ Erisna said. _"But my leg hurts..."_

Anna looked at the injury.

"It does not look too bad," she said, "but we should go to the Pokémon Center anyway."

On the way there, Anna seemed to be limping slightly, but when Josh asked her about it she assured him that she was fine.

"Anna, seriously," Josh said. "Something is up. What is it?"

Anna sighed.

"I am sharing Erisna's pain," she admitted. "It is all that I can do for her right now."

"I wonder what caused that Zubat to attack?" Josh mused as they left the Pokémon Center. "It seems odd."

"Perhaps the earthquake confused it," Anna suggested.

"Maybe," Josh agreed. "Well, anyway, let's look around. I want to check out the mine."

"After what happened in that cave, are you sure about that?" Anna asked.

Josh paused.

"You have a point," he admitted. "But if the miners work there, surely it's not too dangerous. Let's not stay long, though. Just look around a little bit."

Anna followed Josh to the mine, but she was wary.

"Huh? What are you children doing here?" asked a man as they came in.

"We wanted to look at the mine," said Josh.

"Not a good idea," said the man. "There've been earthquakes lately; nothing much but they could get worse. We haven't shut down the mine yet, but we might. And it's best that visitors stay out."

Josh looked like he was going to argue, so Anna tapped his shoulder.

"What?" Josh asked, turning to look at her.

"This is Roark, the supervisor of the mine," she whispered. "If he says stay out, stay out."

Josh blinked, surprised, then turned back to Roark.

"There was an earthquake little while ago, while we were in the Oreburgh Gate," Josh said. "And then a Zubat attacked us. Any idea why?"

"Mmm. Well, things have been happening all over Sinnoh. Minor natural disasters -earth tremors, small storms, that kind of thing- have been increasing. And whether because of that or something else, the Pokémon have been more agitated. Some say it's connected to the Red Chain incident."

"Red Chain?" asked Josh.

"It was about six years ago," said Anna. "Team Galactic captured the three lake Pokémon using the Red Chain. They wanted to summon the Pokémon of Time and Space."

"They wanted to summon Dialga and Palkia?" Josh cried, aghast. "What were they, _insane_?"

"Their reasons are not known to me," said Anna. "But they were successful in the end."

"Then... what stopped them from destroying all of Sinnoh?"

"Lucas," Anna replied. "He freed the lake Pokémon. They and he were able to calm Dialga and Palkia."

"Lucas... as in the League Champion? That Lucas?"

"That's right," said Roark, who had been examining a vent while Anna talked. "That boy stopped a disaster. 'Course, that was before he was Champion."

"Well," Josh said, "thanks for warning us about the danger. We'd better get going."

"No problem," said Roark. "You be careful!"

"The Red Chain incident," Josh mused as they left the mine. "How did I miss it?"

"Remember that night, when my family went over to your house, and our parents were all watching the news?"

"The year we got Erisna and Moru? They were watching something about a storm on Mount Coronet, right?"

"Yes. That storm was the summoning of Dialga and Palkia. And then, things seemed weird for a little while, remember?"

"Right, for a moment I got all disoriented. Then when things made sense again, the announcer on television was saying the storm was dissipating."

"I did some research later. Since Dialga and Palkia are the Pokémon of Space and Time, it makes sense. Their presence in our world caused disruptions in time and space. So most people did not know what was going on, since it happened during a time period which for them did not exist."

"Wait, what?" Josh was totally confused now.

"I do not know how to explain it... Time was disrupted, such that while a number of things happened on Mount Coronet, to us it seemed that no time passed."

"Oh. Still doesn't make sense, but I think I sort of get it."

The four travelers entered the Pokémon Center and sat down at a table.

"So," said Josh, "where to next?"

Anna spread her map on the table.


End file.
